Posted on 12/14/2008 7:47:40 AM PST by Stoat
He was flown to the top of Roshan Tower post, situated in the thick of the Helmand fighting zone – and, in so doing, out-machoed his predecessor Tony Blair, who never left the safety of a fortified British base.
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Downing Street aides claimed that no British Prime Minister had been as close to a major front line since Winston Churchill in the Second World War.
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‘He is not fit to lick my grandfather’s boots,’ said Mr Soames. ‘One is a party hack and the other is our greatest-ever national leader.
‘My grandfather led a charge at the Battle of Omdurman; Brown didn’t even have the courage to call a General Election.’
He went on: ‘As Churchill said, courage is the greatest quality of all, because it is on courage that all else depends.’
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
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Gordon Brown, second from left, talks to Colonel Chris Darby at Roshan Tower in Musa Qala, Afghanistan
Gordon Brown arrives via helicopter at Roshan Tower
The Prime Minister meets the troops
Prime Minister Winston Churchill on his return to Downing Street after a visit to troops in the Middle East in 1943
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As usual, some of the best parts of the article are from the Daily Mail readers. Here is a small sample of their comments:
Please do not compare that man to the greatest leader this Country has ever known. If not for Chirchill we would never have gotten through WW2. Churchill was a man of courage and great determination, he knew what he was doing and how he was going to do it, establishing hiself as both a true statesman and serviceman.
Not one member of parliamnet has served in the armed forces, what does that tell you?
Well said Mr Soames, this man is seeking nothing more than political value from these visits, unelected, unwanted and unwelcome. I will bet the average squaddie has a different opinion of the great pretender than he has of himself.
Are we supposed to be impressed by this spin - no of course not. Anything for a photo opportunity to try to raise his profile. No chance!
Why doesn't Clown Brown realise he's NOT welcome ANYWHERE that the British Army are? He doesn't care for the Troops, that's painfully obvious! And as for TRYING to sound sincere when talking about the 'Royals' loss is SO false.....walk away with your head bowed Brown, you're amongst Heroes!
That would be the same Ghurkas this low-life government fights tooth and nail to stop enjoying the benefits of the country they fought for. That would be the same squaddies who patrol in vehicles they grimly term "coffins". Bet I know one public employee who'll never have his safety compromised by travelling in an unprtected vehicle..what an absolute disgrace that man is.
Have these idiots in Whitehall really lost the plot.How the hell can there be any comparison between Churchill and the present clown in No10.Their PR people really got this one wrong or maybe showing their true desperation.A change of address is required--I would suggest Bedlam
The only comparison to Churchill that this idiot can make is with the dog in the insurance ads and that is to the detriment of the dog
Churchill did not only see "action on three continents.," but also in the Americas. His first experience of action was in Cuba where he accompanied a Spanish column fighting guerillas. He was decorated for this by the Spanish Government.
Churchill had unlimited pride and loyalty to this country. Brown is an un-elected hanger-on, a result of the Bliar years, which has done everything possible to destroy the fabric and history of this country.
Brown should be sorting out the mess that he has made at home before visiting the troops. As an ex soldier the last thing the guys need following the death of friends is the bull that goes with a VIP visit. It also put his protection team at risk, and I bet extra patrols had to be deployed to ensure his photo op could go ahead.
The only similarity between him and Churchill is that they were both overweight!
To compare this visit by any measure to any effort in the massive effort of WWII is ludicrous beyond measure. Afghanistan is a minor policing effort with not grounds for comparison to WWII. The corruption of what passes as journalism continues its downward spiral to the gates of hades.
"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step". Sir Winston Churchill circa 1899. THE great man who saved Western Civilisation.
And to compare a lightweight like Gordon Brown to Sir Winston Churchill is ludicrous as well. Will 0bama’s aides be comparing Barry to General Patton when he visits the troops?
“Not one member of parliamnet has served in the armed forces, what does that tell you?”
Not true. Shows the calibre of the average Daily Mail reader tbh, wilfully ignorant and making stuff up in his own mind so that he can rant and rave about it to no-one in particular...
“Will 0bama’s aides be comparing Barry to General Patton when he visits the troops?”
Probably not, Patton would have made a poor politician and he wasn’t really statesman material, which I’m sure Obama fancies himself as....
I happen to be an "average Daily Mail reader".
If you have a factual and substantive argument to make then please make it, if you can, without insulting me.
Never considered moving to a grown-up newspaper like the Telegraph or the Times? I know they have more and bigger words and less pictures, but they are less prone to conjuring up emotive stories about paedos, asylum-seekers and working mothers that turn out to be mostly BS. Still, at least you’re not a Sun reader. There is hope for you yet....
Actually, I read them all including The Sun and many more, and I weigh them all according to the merits and quality of the information they present.
And I don't go around insulting people I don't know. Your desire to broadbrush the intellectual level of others based upon their wide-ranging search for knowledge and truth is not something that most FReepers will respect. If the fact that I read a wider range of news sources than you do casts me as 'hopeless' in your eyes, then so be it.
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Sometime I love opinion of UK Daily mail readers LOLOLOLOL!
I'm sure that he would! He's probably a 'stealth FReeper' :-)
There are none in the current government that I know of, but that doesn’t suprise me with Nu-Labour. Off the top of my head, David Davis, the former Shadow Home Secratary used to be in the SAS, Dr Andrew Murrison is an actual reservist who served some time in Iraq as a Royal Navy Surgeon as a sitting MP, Patrick Mercer MP, is probably the most outspoken MP on military affairs was also a shadow cabinet member until he made a controversial remark about anti-black racism in the army being no worse than having red hair and being called ‘ginger’. And finally, Iain Duncan-Smith, former leader of the Conservative Party was a Guards Officer.
All Tories, but these are just the ones I know about, there are probably quite a few more. Most of the Labour ex-servicemen are likely to be older backbanchers of an ‘Old Labour’ bent though, certainly not in government...
The Mail moderates its user comments HEAVILY, but sometimes a few good ones sneak through :-)
To go four years without a troop visit will be something that even his adoring Press won't be able to suppress and gloss over....his handlers will be terrified of him committing a "Dukakis in the tank" moment, but he will anyway.....he won't be able to help himself, and his ego will compel him to.
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From experience I know that politicians only go where it is deemed to be safe when visiting troops in action.
You can be sure Brown was fully briefed on the likely threats to his visited locations in Afghanistan.
This pathetic grandstanding makes me sick, be sure that all the troops will know the score.
27 'attempted' (i.e. not successful) rocket attacks in 3 months = a cushy billet to front line troops.
- David, Belmont, 13/12/2008 15:22